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What is rubella?

Rubella (German measles) is a contagious viral infection that causes a pink, spotty rash (NHS 2018). It isn't usually serious for children, and normally gets better on its own in about a week (NHS 2018). However, it can be very dangerous for pregnant women, so you'll need to take some precautions while your child has it, such as keeping him away from school to minimise the risk of the infection spreading (NICE 2015).

Thanks to the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, rubella is now uncommon in the UK (NICE 2015). If your child has had both doses of the vaccine (offered at one year and again at three years and four months (NHS 2016)), he's unlikely to have rubella (NHS 2018, NICE 2015). However, children who have just had the one dose aren't completely protected yet, so some will remain at risk of catching it.

What are the symptoms of rubella?

The most obvious symptom is the rubella rash, which looks like lots of small pinkish-red spots. It usually starts out around the face and neck, before spreading to the rest of the body (NHS 2018).

The rubella rash can be harder to see on darker skin, but you may notice that your child's skin feels rough or bumpy (NHS 2018).

If your child has rubella, he may feel perfectly fine (NICE 2015). Or he may feel generally under the weather, with swollen glands, painful joints, and flu-like symptoms such as fever, coughing and sneezing (NHS 2018).

The rash usually goes away on its own, without treatment, in about three to five days (NICE 2015). If your child feels generally under the weather, he should feel better once the rash has gone (NICE 2015). If he has swollen glands, these can take a bit longer to go down, but should be back to normal within a few weeks (NICE 2015).

How should I treat my child's rubella?

If you think your child could have rubella, take him to see your GP (NICE 2015). Give the surgery a call first though, and let them know why you're booking the appointment (NHS 2018). Rubella is very infectious, and can be dangerous for pregnant women. So your surgery may want to make sure that you don't end up sharing a waiting room with someone who's expecting, or hasn't had their vaccinations. They'll advise you on when and how you can safely go in for an appointment.

Rubella is caused by a virus, so antibiotics won't help. Instead, once your GP has confirmed that your little one has rubella, she'll give you tips on how to look after him at home while his immune system fights off the virus.

Here's how to care for your child while he has rubella:

Keep him away from school or nursery, and make sure he doesn't come into contact with any pregnant women, until at least five days after the rash first appeared. (If you or your partner is pregnant, see the section below: "How does rubella spread")

Let him get plenty of rest if he wants to.

Encourage him to drink plenty of fluids, particularly if he has a fever.

If his symptoms are causing him any pain, you can offer the correct dose of infant paracetamol or ibuprofen. Ask your pharmacist if you're unsure how much to give.

(NHS 2018, NICE 2015)

Your child should be back to his usual self within a week (NHS 2018, NICE 2015).

How does rubella spread?

Like many viruses, rubella is usually spread through coughs and sneezes (NHS 2018). Your child will be most infectious until about five days after the rash first appears. During this time, you should keep him away from school or nursery (NHS 2018).

Although the rubella virus is normally harmless, it can be very dangerous for pregnant women, leading to miscarriage or severe birth defects in the baby (NICE 2015). If your child has rubella, he could still pass on the virus until about two weeks after the rash first develops, so try to keep him away from pregnant women during this time (NICE 2015).

If you're pregnant, and have come into contact with someone who has rubella, call your GP surgery. They will offer you a blood test to check if you're immune to rubella. If not, you may be offered extra scans throughout your pregnancy, to check whether it's affected your baby (NICE 2015). The good news is that you're extremely unlikely to catch it if you've had it before, or if you've had your MMR vaccinations (NICE 2015). Learn more about rubella in pregnancy.

If your child has rubella, you can help prevent it spreading to any unvaccinated people in your family by:

Encouraging him to use a tissue when he sneezes or coughs, and binning the tissue straight away afterwards.

Washing his hands often with soap and warm water.

(NHS 2018)

How can I protect my child against rubella?

Make sure he receives both doses of the MMR vaccine. It’s usually given at one year - and again at three years and four months - as part of your child’s scheduled immunisations (NHS 2016). If your child is behind on any of his immunisations, check with his doctor about a catch-up schedule.

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